Insultingly attempting to evoke the Freedom Rides from the civil rights movement, thousands of self-appointed activists plan to crisscross the country in buses next month to support illegal aliens.

"The buses will stop at dozens of locations throughout the United States, including statehouses and cities with historic ties to the civil rights movement, before converging in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 1 to meet with congressional representatives. From there, people will travel to Queens Oct. 4, where they will be joined by thousands of New York City immigrants for a mass rally, organizers said," Newsday reported.

The blame-America-firsters are staging their little event to decry federal immigration policies. "In particular, the organizers said they want to call attention to the need [sic] for an amnesty for those illegally in the country," according to Newsday.

Hmm, it sounds as if what they really want is more Democrat voters:

"This is really about building political power," Pramila Jayapal, executive director of something called Hate Free Zone Campaign of Washington, admitted to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. "The goals of labor and immigrant rights groups are the same."

Rep. Charlie Rangel, D-N.Y., claimed, "This is really the kickoff of a new civil rights movement, not for New York, not for labor, but for our country."

Democrat New York Assemblyman Brian McLaughlin had this to say: "It's not a magical event. It's a long-term struggle."

It's a much bigger long-term struggle to enforce U.S. laws and stop rewarding criminals.

The National Education Association is supporting the Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride this fall that organizers say will help draw a "new map for the road to citizenship" in the United States.

A key player in securing NEA's official endorsement of the effort, Los Angeles math coach and NEA member Andy Griggs knows that immigration reform is very much an education issue.

In his work at Shenandoah Elementary School with non-citizens and their kids, this veteran educator sees the strain of "parents holding down two or three jobs that nobody else wants at minimum wage," and the "emotional hardships" of families divided and "broken" by the nation's immigration bureaucracy.

Hardest of all for Griggs: the sight of a child in tears after a holiday visit to family members stranded in Mexico or Guatemala, or a new immigrant student who "breaks down" and "will not go into a classroom" out of fear of being separated from relatives.

That's why Griggs - co-chair of the Human Rights Committee of United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) and Pacific region coordinator of the NEA Peace and Justice Caucus - recently worked with Mary Ann Pacheco and David Hernandez of the NEA Hispanic Caucus to win NEA Representative Assembly support of the Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride (IWFR) on September 27-October 4.

Modeled after the Freedom Rides of the 1960s, which targeted racial bias in the interstate bus and train networks, the IWFR will focus the nation's attention on the subservient, second-class status of non-citizens and prod Congress to reform the nation's antiquated immigration laws.

IWFR buses packed predominantly with immigrants will depart from 10 major cities, stop for events in 80 towns, roll on to Washington, D.C. for a Lobby Day, and wind up at an October 4 mass rally in Queens, New York.

Among other objectives, IWFR organizers - including labor, civil rights, community, immigrant, and business groups - seek a "clear road to citizenship" for immigrant workers, the right of non-citizens to reunite their families, and the protection of immigrants' labor rights and civil liberties. Immigrant workers "need equal rights on the job and the right to organize unions - regardless of their immigration status," stresses IWFR spokesperson David Koff.

The Ride has gained some impressive supporters, including California's lieutenant governor and state Senate and the governor of New Jersey. Now IWFR organizers seek the backing of NEA members and affiliates - to endorse the IWFR, sponsor riders, organize local events, or make contributions.

The NEA is and has always been quite worthless. They should be cut off from receiving any tax bucks immediately. The leeches involved in this so-called "civil rights" scam should be shackled and quickly removed from the country without trial, IMO.

5
posted on 08/08/2003 7:58:00 PM PDT
by Tancredo Fan
(Stop the invasion. Put the military on the borders, round up illegals, and tell Fox to shove off.)

Sounds like fun! Will they also post charts to prove that my property,health and auto insurance premiums have not increased due to their advocacy of illegal aliens criminal actions? Or will they still pretend that "liberal" assinine actions have no adverse consequences? Any chance they will invite the crime victims of their newly exhaulted protected class to talk about the consequences?

What B.S. ! I'm in a machinist union and I realize this only dilutes our wages. Like it or not, organized labor in this country has always been for very low immigration rates thus bringing wages up because of a smaller labor pool.

Of course they do. More illegals mean more children. More children means more bloated education bureacracy. A more bloated education system means more teachers and more teachers means more members and more members means more $$$ and power. Simple.

They call them "illegal aliens" because they're here illegally. Why don't they come here according to law? Or do laws no longer matter? Good, I'll go rob a bank. Ship their butts outta here, or let Democrats start an illegal support fund of their own. I want no part of supporting them when they have a country to go back to.

This is all for more social benificiaries, and therefore more Democrat votes. More people to live off the public troth the Republicans have to keep filling up for them. Anything to steal another mans wages. They're green with envy of the Republicans and their success in life, so they want us punished. It's getting really old.

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